"Feist, Raymond E - The Riftwar Legacy 02 - Krondor- The Assassins" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feist Raymond E)

right, James. " The capital city of the Western Realm of the Kingdom of
the Isles was never silent. Even at the darkest hours before sunrise,
sounds could be heard from all quarters. There was a pulse to any city,
and Krondor had one that was as well known to James as his own
heartbeat. He could listen to its rhythm and understand what it was
saying: Something s wrong. It was less than an hour before sundown, yet
the city was far more subdued than it should be.

Locklear listened and knew what it was James was hearing, a muted
quality, as if everyone was speaking a little more softly than usual. A
shout from a teamster to his mules was cut slightly short, lest it hang
too long in the air and attract notice. A mother s command for a child
to come home was short and sharp, followed by a low threatening warning
rather than a top-of-the-voice shriek.

"What do you think is going on? " asked Locklear.

Just ahead, Arutha spoke quietly to the two squires without looking
back. "We should find out in a moment. " The young men looked past their
ruler and saw a committee waiting for them at the palace gate. In the
forefront was Princess Anita, her smile edged with relief at seeing her
husband unharmed before her. Still youthful despite ten years of
marriage and motherhood, her red hair was gathered up under a wide white
hat, looking more like a sailing ship set atop her head, thought James,
than anything else. But it was the current fashion, and one did not make
jests at the expense of the Princess, especially not when her second
smile was directed at you.

James returned the Princess s welcoming smile and basked

33 for a moment in its warmth. His boyhood infatuation with Anita had
matured into a deep, abiding affection, and while she was too young to
be viewed as his surrogate mother, she served as surrogate older sister
with ease and humor. And it was clear to all who knew them that she
viewed James as the younger brother she never had. It went so far as the
Princess s children calling James "Uncle Jimmy".

At Anita s right stood twin boys, the Princes Borric and Erland,
jostling with one another, as if it were impossible for the two
nine-year-olds to remain at rest even for a moment. The red-headed lads
were intelligent, James knew, and undisciplined. Some day they would
number among the most powerful nobles in the Kingdom, but at present
they were simply fractious boys bored with having to act the part of
Princes and anxious to be off about whatever mischief they could find.
Directly before her mother stood the Princess Elena, four years younger
than the boys. Her features were as fine as her mother s, but her
coloring was her father s, dark and intense. She beamed at the sight of
her father riding at the head of his Household Guard. Succumbing to
impulse, she pointed and said, "There s Daddy!" Arutha held up his hand
and ordered a halt. Without waiting for official greetings from the